Quick now, what do these things have in common: Caterpillars. Excavators. Wasps. Wheel loaders. Crawler tractors.

In addition to being charismatic and really fun to watch, each of these items are yellow. Not for nothing, either - many insects and animals with yellow markings have evolved that way as a signal for others to pay attention to them.

Frac Spreads, Well Service Rigs, Pick-up Trucks and 1, 2, and 3-Shank Rippers all selling at Auction

August is a heavy-duty month of activity for Kruse Energy with three sales in the oil field. August 9^th – 10^th drew 350+ people on-site to a successful end-of-summer sale in Midland-Odessa, Texas. With many more online, two frac spreads brought more than $4.5 million, combined. Bidders came from as far away as Russia, Europe, Venezuela, and as close as next door. What moved most? Kruse President, David Long, noted that the heavy sellers were frac spreads, oilfield service trucks, and well service rigs.

There's no such thing as a wimpy coal miner. The same goes for their equipment. Coming up in IronPlanet's August 25 auction, we'll feature excellent machinery:  Cat backhoe loaders, Cat wheel loaders, a Case excavator, many Cat crawler tractors, a Kenworth dump truck, and more hard-working equipment previously used in Kentucky's coal mines. And because mining stuff is cool, read this post to the end to learn about the mother of all excavators.

These items are available now to preview, along with the entire slate of IronPlanet's 1,000+ items up for bid in the August 25 auction. Be sure to read inspection reports. 

IronPlanet now offers buyers instant financing on equipment purchases with Express, by Currency Capital and financing options from Cat Financial. Instant financing, along with IronPlanet's IronClad Assurance® equipment condition certification is just another way IronPlanet helps its customers to buy online with confidence.

Do-it yourself, DIY, Fixer Upper...we've all seen the reality shows where buyers take something old and make it new. GovPlanet customer Rick Stickle recently took DIY to a whole new level and industry - used construction equipment.  Rick's business, Midwest3PL, a third party logistics company out of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, transformed a used Case Crawler Tractor with minimal time and money and gave Midwest3PL a nearly new piece of equipment to use for years to come.

1988 Case 1150 Crawler Tractor BEFORE

A History of Do-It-Yourself

Rick Stickle is in the warehouse business as a 3PL (third party logistics) provider to a number of Midwest-based clients, hence the name Midwest3PL. As the owner of over 150 different buildings, he has subscribed to the "Do-it-yourself" policy for most of his 65 years of life. When it came time to expand one of his large buildings in Cedar Rapids, Stickle began the process acting as his own General Contractor. "Since we already had many other construction equipment items, there seemed to be a general need for a laser guided track machine. After investigating the cost of comparable, newer models, I looked into IronPlanet's GovPlanet site and realized that there were severalolder Case dozers being auctioned off with relatively low hours on them. I checked with a couple of our local dealers for comparable laser equipment and found that for a very small investment, we could purchase laser guided tools that could be utilized on the Case dozer as well as other equipment as well."

Check out some interesting global headlines around the construction and heavy equipment industry during the first part of July.

World Mining Equipment Market to Reach $156 Billion by 2022 - Report (Mining.com)

"The global mining equipment market is expected to garner $156 billion by 2022, increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.9% during 2016 – 2022, a new report published by Allied Market Research shows. According to the study, titled “World Mining Equipment Market – Opportunities and Forecasts, 2015 – 2022”, the Asia–Pacific region accounted for the highest revenue of over $50 billion in 2015, followed by Latin America, the Middle East and Africa (LAMEA)." Read more

Although it’s only July, it’s not hard to imagine the unavoidable dropping temperatures, falling snow and gathering ice that will soon announce the start of Canada's and parts of the Northeastern United States' long winter season. With colder and more hazardous weather around the corner, used equipment owners have some serious decisions to make about which items to keep in their fleets and which to sell.

Fortunately, the approaching end of warm weather is not an issue in many other geographic areas around the world. Areas in the United States, such as Florida, Texas, California and Arizona, as well as countries in South America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa will continue to experience high temperatures that make ongoing road construction more manageable. This offers advantages for heavy equipment owners who are focused on inventory management and seeking a new home for a selection of items. In addition, there is high demand for older equipment in developing countries due to ease of repair and operation.

But how do owners interested in selling equipment reach these distant audiences? Shipping equipment to onsite auctions can be expensive and time consuming. And, during these colder months, potential buyers may not want to travel to onsite auctions (i.e. experience delays and cancellations) during potentially hazardous conditions or view equipment in possible extreme cold temperatures. If auctions do take place, low attendance can mean a poor return for sellers.

Check out some interesting global headlines around the construction and heavy equipment industry as we close out the month of June.

Auctioneering Industry Thrives in Oil Downturn (Houston Chronicle)

"As the auctioneer's megaphone faded off in the distance, Cody Baker and Matthew Boykin had wandered far out to the edge of a 130-acre gravel lot to check out a row of man-lifts, the crawlers with big arms that elevate workers to high places. They hoisted hoods in the hot sun, poked at wiring, peered underneath to check for oil leaks, trying to find a few worth taking back to Midland to put to work in the oil fields." Read more

New Construction Starts Rise 5 Percent in May (Construction Equipment)

"Strong gains reported for public works, power plants, and multifamily housing." Read more

Now that summer is here, the excavator becomes essential for many jobs sites, big and small. But, how do you know what type of equipment you need? Should you consider an attachment instead? Whether it’s job needs, weight or resale value, there are many things to consider when purchasing a used piece of heavy equipment. Taking the time to learn about different choices will help you select the right machine for your job. Here are a few tips to choosing the right excavator to help with your summer project and beyond.

Job requirements

First determine what work the excavator will be required to accomplish your job sites. Excavators are available in a number of different sizes. Mini-excavators are often used within buildings because they fit inside easily and can be used for interior demolition or in tight spaces between buildings. However, they aren’t capable of carrying heavier loads. For organizations doing water and sewer work, it’s essential an excavator be able to lift heavy concrete structures and dig within certain depths. For contractors working alongside highways, the excavator may need to have a zero tail swing or zero radius so that it can be operated without swinging into oncoming traffic.

IronPlanet has been selected to sell over 100 pieces of used construction equipment from the Belo Monte Dam project completion in Brazil. All logistics and transportation details will be handled easily with the help of partners, Soimpex and Roll Logistics. Buyers in Brazil will have the site translated in Portuguese, along with the detailed inspection reports.

From dump trucks, to crawler tractors and compactors to excavators and off-road trucks, IronPlanet plans to sell the equipment through its high visibility Daily Marketplace. All of the equipment is backed by IronPlanet’s IronClad Assurance^® equipment  condition certification, which assures buyers of an accurate representation of equipment condition so they can buy with confidence. Equipment is available now at www.ironplanet.com.  Here are a few featured items:

Check out some interesting global headlines around the construction and heavy equipment industry from the past two weeks.

 It's Game On at Vegas 'Dig This' (Construction Equipment Guide)

"The hosts at autoblog.com recently got the chance to check off an item off of their list of 1,000 Car Things to Do Before You Die, and that is to drive heavy equipment at Dig This, the Las Vegas Construction Equipment sandbox where “everyone from 8-108 can play.”  Read more

Milwaukee's Mining Equipment Manufacturers Try to Dig out of the Hole (Milwaukee Business News)

"There have been a lot of depressing headlines for the Milwaukee-area mining equipment manufacturing operations of Joy Global Inc. and Caterpillar Inc. over the past year. Milwaukee-based Joy posted a $1.2 billion loss last year, closed its Orchard Street plant, laid off the workers in its heavy fabrication and welding departments in September, and then closed those departments in May." Read more